There was a time not too long ago when a Los Angeles Lakers-Nuggets ticket at the Pepsi Center would have been one of the hottest in the city.
No longer.
As of Tuesday night, StubHub still had plenty of tickets available for Wednesday’s game, from courtside all the way up to the rafters.
Perhaps that’s because the last time the Nuggets and Lakers faced each other in the regular season with both teams having winning records was April 13, 2012.
After finishing 45-37 two seasons ago, then-Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni got on the wrong side of superstar Kobe Bryant, and that was part of the reason the Lakers slipped to 27 victories in D’Antoni’s only full season with the team. D’Antoni resigned at season’s end.
Little was expected of the Lakers this season, but numerous significant injuries decimated an already-thin roster, leaving one of the league’s most storied franchise in the running to get a top-five pick in the NBA draft.
The Nuggets aren’t far ahead.
Nuggets Mailbag:
With the seventh-worst record in the NBA, they’re probably going to have their best lottery position since getting the third overall pick in 2003.
But no matter how poorly each team is doing, Nuggets interim coach Melvin Hunt said he sees a hungry Lakers team coming to town. But hungry for different reasons.
WATCH:
“You see a bunch of young guys that are auditioning,” Hunt said. “They want to show the NBA world what they are capable of doing. And Byron (Scott) has got them playing hard. And then they’ve got real legitimate, relevant bigs in (Carlos) Boozer and Jordan (Hill). These are legit NBA players. And then with the perimeter guys — Jeremy Lin is a very good player. And the (Jordan) Clarkson kid, if you guys don’t know about him, you will.”
Most of the Nuggets’ preparation as the season winds down, though, is getting their own house in order with three home games left.
“We want to take care of our business,” Hunt said. “We want to play well in this home stretch.”
Christopher Dempsey: cdempsey@denverpost.com or
L.A. LAKERS AT DENVER
7 p.m. Wednesday, ALT; 950 AM
Spotlight on Tarik Black: Awarded to the Lakers on a waiver claim made in late December, the rookie Black, a former Kansas standout, has been workmanlike for Los Angeles during his three-plus months with the team. In his five games before Tuesday night’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Black averaged 10.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per game while shooting 63.9 percent from the field. Free throws have been a weakness, however, and he has made just 57.1 percent of those during this stretch.
NOTEBOOK
Nuggets: The three days off appear to have done the team some good on the injury front. Point guard Ty Lawson (forearm) is expected to play after missing Saturday’s game against the Clippers. Danilo Gallinari will be back in the lineup as well. Darrell Arthur (calf) is doubtful but making progress, Nuggets interim coach Melvin Hunt said. “The injured guys with the bangs and bruises, they came back feeling a little spry, and that was good to see,” Hunt said. However, point guard Jameer Nelson (hip) will not play.
Lakers: This is the second of a back-to-back set for the L.A. Lakers, who faced the Clippers on Tuesday night at the Staples Center. … The Lakers are 2-8 in their last 10 regular-season games against the Nuggets. They trail the Nuggets 2-1 in this year’s season series. If they lose, the Lakers will have lost the season series to the Nuggets two seasons in a row. … The latest player to hit the injured list with a significant injury is Wayne Ellington, who recently suffered a separated right shoulder.
Christopher Dempsey, The Denver Post
